Cycling is one of the most popular activities among those taking a French holiday and according to the Daily Mail’s Mark Porter, the Dordogne is one of the best places for it.

In last week’s article, “Europe’s 10 best cycling holidays” the Mail journalist listed some of the continents best destinations and routes for cyclist hoping to see the sights from their saddle. Covering Britain, France, Spain, Germany, Portugal, Sicily and Croatia, the article begins by describing one of France’s most popular and picturesque cycle routes – from Dordogne to the Lot.

This route is one of the bigger cycle routes in France and is extremely popular within the Dordogne region. Beginning at the vineyards of St Emilion near Bordeaux, holidaymakers and locals alike travel via quiet D roads along the bank of the Dordogne river to Bergerac, continuing onwards through medieval villages and onwards to the Lot.

Porter warns readers that due to the number of opportunities for gourmet cuisine, “you could more weight than you lose on this odyssey”. The route, which takes cyclists some 170 miles across the bucolic countryside, is unlikely to be suitable for inexperienced cyclists due to its length but those with stamina should manage without too much effort. According to the writer, it begins easily then becomes “moderately demanding” as it travels south through the Vers valley and towards the ‘wine capital’ of Lot.

Among the stops recommended by Porter are the historic medieval villages of La Roque-Gageac, Beynac and Sarlet, as well as the village of Rocamadour.

Once a key part of the pilgrimage routes that attracted faithful Catholics across Europe, Rocamadour is located atop a granite hillside and is described as “one of the most dramatic settings for a pilgrimage.”

This cliffside village on the edge of the Lot-Dordogne border has attracted visitors since the 11th century due to its legendary associations. Chief among these is the wooden statue of the black Madonna (a depiction of the Virgin Mary with black skin), reputedly carved by St. Amadour. A broken sword located in the church terrace also attracts many visitors as legend maintains it is a fragment of the sword Durandal, wielded by the legendary hero Roland – a French medieval figure with many parallels to Britain’s Arthurian legends.

Related posts:

1. Souillac is perfect for French cycle holidays
2. Cycling in France’s Aquitaine region
3. See the Dordogne by bike
4. Recent Daily Mail article on the Dordogne or is it Dordogne-shire
5. Dordogne to boast new “bike-road greenway”

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